A Children's Guide to Arctic Birds

by Mia Pelletier, Danny Christopher (Illustrator)

Overview

The Arctic is not a barren, frigid landscape filled with only ice and snow. It is a complex ecosystem that contains many thriving habitats, each supported by dozens of ecological relationships between plants and animals. From the many animals that live and hunt at the floe edge, to the hundreds of insects that abound on the summer tundra, this book gives a detailed bird's-eye view of the fascinating ways that animals, plants, and insects co-exist in the Arctic ecosystem. Written by Mia Pelletier, a biologist and wilderness field researcher, and complete with a glossary to clearly explain biological terms to young readers, this book provides a sound informational basis to understanding the Arctic ecosystem in all its facets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772270464
Publisher:	Inhabit Media
Publication date:	11/15/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Mia Pelletier grew up exploring the lakes and forests of the Canadian Shield. Drawn to shorelines and wild places, Mia studied ecology and lived in California and the Magdalen Islands before moving to Baffin Island, Nunavut, in 2010. In Nunavut, she works with Arctic seabirds and with Inuit on the co-management of protected areas. Mia enjoys exploring the Arctic tundra and learning about the fascinating plants, animals, and people that call this region home.

Danny Christopher has travelled throughout the Canadian Arctic as an instructor for Nunavut Arctic College. He is the illustrator of The Legend of the Fog, A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds, and Animals Illustrated: Polar Bear, and author of Putuguq and Kublu. His work on The Legend of the Fog was nominated for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustration Award. He lives in Toronto with his wife, four children, and two dogs.

Editorial Reviews

[The art is] one of the strong points of this nonfiction book, but so are the facts provided about birds.”

American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

"Interesting for bird lovers whose homes are in temperate climes as well, especially those who might see some of these intriguing Arctic nesters in winter."—Kirkus Reviews

“[The art is] one of the strong points of this nonfiction book, but so are the facts provided about birds.”—American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
Gr 3–5—Though presented in a familiar and approachable picture book format, this look at Arctic birds is a real gem. Saturated with information, it covers 12 different birds, including the common eider, the Arctic tern, and the tundra swan. Readers will discover where these birds are found, what they eat, where they go in the winter, and the sounds they make, as well as information on nesting and eggs. The "Listen For" section is particularly interesting, as Pelletier effectively communicates the birds' calls in writing. There is a "Feathered Fact" about each species. Additional content includes a discussion of bird feet, bills, and feathers, as well as an illustration depicting all these birds' comparative sizes. Accurate and teeming with life, color, and texture, the illustrations add further to the book's appeal, and even the end pages are well stocked with useful images. Fans of Steve Jenkins's work and Annette LeBlanc Cate's Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard (Candlewick, 2013) will enjoy this title. VERDICT A well-designed and engaging addition to any library's avian collection.—Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

2015-01-20
An Arctic ecologist introduces a dozen bird species that take advantage of the food available in the brief but bountiful summer to nest and raise their young in the far north. After a brief introduction and description of bird measurements, as well as the feathers, bills and feet that distinguish them, the author presents her examples, from cliff-dwelling thick-billed murres to tundra-hopping snow buntings. She includes ducks, a loon, swan, hawk and owl, a member of the grouse family called a ptarmigan and the ubiquitous raven. Each species gets a spread: A detailed, layered painting showing the bird (or birds) in a bit of its Arctic habitat sits opposite the text. As the title indicates, it reads like a field guide. A general description is followed by neatly organized facts: where to see them, what they eat, how they sound, nests, eggs, chicks and winter habitat. Length and wingspan are given in centimeters. Where a traditional field guide might provide a Latin name, the author uses Inuktitut, recognizing that these are birds of the Inuit world. The writer also introduces (and defines) other interesting but probably unfamiliar words such as "polynyas," sea-ice openings where common eiders winter, and "cygnets," baby swans. She warns against disturbing nests. Interesting for bird lovers whose homes are in temperate climes as well, especially those who might see some of these intriguing Arctic nesters in winter. (Nonfiction. 8-15)

Kirkus Review